Fire and Lies
Authors: Angela Chrysler
Copyright © 2016 by Angela B. Chrysler
Published by Angela B. Chrysler
203 N Page Avenue
Endicott, NY 13760
Cover by Indigo Forest Designs
Edited by Mia Darien
Maps & Illustrations by Isaac Gooshaw
All Rights Reserved.
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
To my perfect love and dearest friend, my Isaac.
And to my daughter, Emily, who not-so-secretly eavesdropped on the making of this book.
Here’s the part where I thank a bunch of people for all they’ve done for me. They know what they’ve done for me. I know what they’ve done for me, and you probably have no idea who the hell I’m talking about. Let’s not event mention the insane amount of pressure put on an author for spelling this all out because you don’t want to offend anyone who feels they belonged in the acknowledgments. As if writing a 500 page novel wasn’t hard enough! In this sense, writing acknowledgements is a lot like triage. There are those who just aren’t gonna make it—no matter how much they want to. There are those who make the cut, and those who can wait for another book to be mentioned, because word count matters, people! And let’s face it, the more I talk, the more the word count increases, the more my readers are charged!
Now, as a writer, I don’t want to write some half-assed sappy sonnet that bores my readers (and I’ll be the first to admit, as a reader, I never read this stuff). But as a writer, part of me feels obligated to write this all out despite being sincere about wanting to thank certain peoples. But how do I do this without boring the readers, being sincere, and not be too sappy all at the same time? Then I realized, vanity cards! Now those are entertaining! I’m the nerd who always pauses a sitcom to read each and every one of them, so here it goes! Simple, short, sincere, and sweet without losing the readers!
The “I-am-so-grateful-that-I’ve-put-you-in-a-book” thanks goes to:
Isaac the Husband, who matches my crazy.
Angi the BFF for swapping the story ideas even though you don’t read a drop of epic fantasy. Thank you for sitting through my Tolkien Talk while I dumbed down Lord of the Rings for you in much the same way I gave you that crash course in anime.
Every writer has their support group and mine is everyone on board the HMS Slush Brain—Cindy, Matt, Adam, Weech, Stanislava, Stan, Kylie “Kraken,” and Chess! Keep the booze flowing, crew!
Thanks goes to Mia Darien the Editor for making the book beautiful on the inside.
Thanks goes to Indigo Forest Designs for making the book beautiful on the outside.
To my family for your ongoing encouragment, love, and support. Here! I bequeath unto you, bragging rights!
Emily, Daniel, and Elizabeth (the author’s children)
Adm, Alicia, Aaron, and Nikki (the author’s siblings)
And my parents…all four of them.
And deepest thanks to you, my dearest readers, for coming back for more.
Fire and Lies
was not written as an independent novel separate from
Dolor and Shadow
. They are, in fact, the same book. When I finished
Fire and Lies
back in 2015, I had in my hands a 270,000 word novel.
You read right. A 270,000 word debut novel. I had a choice: either publish my novel of 270,000 words or cut the book in half and do my best to wrap up the ending. I decided to cut the book in half. Like a surgeon in Korea, I administered some crude stitching and implemented a graph to control the bleeding just long enough to get the book from the Front Lines to the nearest MASH unit. Now, a year later, I am providing the second half of a story that began with
Dolor and Shadow
.
If you have not yet read
Dolor and Shadow
, I feel obligated to warn you that you currently have in your hands the second half of a story already begun.
Fire and Lies
is not intended to be read independently of
Dolor and Shadow
. You will be confused. You will miss a lot of the characterization, plot, and back story that was developed in
Dolor and Shadow
.
If you plan to read on without first reading
Dolor and Shadow
, here is a brief synopsis of what you have missed.
The story begins in Alfheim around 200 CE. There are two elf clans, the Dokkalfar and the Ljosalfar. The Dokkalfar arrive in Alfheim as refugees. Conversation suggests that the Fae gods were looking for the Drui who are now missing or dead. Kallan, the king’s eight-year-old daughter, contains the unusual power to control the Seidr—a magic or energy that creates life. Fand, one of the Fae gods, has learned of Kallan and her Seidr powers. When Fand shows up to kill Kallan, Aaric, the king’s High Marshal, pleads for Kallan’s life. Fand and Aaric make a deal: Kallan lives unless she grows too powerful too hide.
As Kallan matures, plans of peace between the Ljosalfar and the Dokkalfar abruptly end when a Ljosalfar princess is found dead. Before killing himself in a fit of madness, the Ljosalfar king slays three hundred Dokkalfar then kills himself. As Rune inherits the Ljosalfar throne from his deceased father, the Dokkalfar declare war.
Centuries pass like years for the alfar, and while the world of Men evolves over the ages, the alfar fight on. Years into the war, Kallan finds her father dead and captures King Rune to avenge her father’s death. But Kallan’s power has grown drawing Fand’s attention. When Fand arrives to kill Kallan, Aaric—realizing that Kallan is safer as a prisoner of war—implants a magical creature inside Rune. The creature—a beast composed of shadow—consumes Seidr and gives Rune a chance to subdue Kallan. Rune escapes with Kallan. As Rune carries Kallan to his city, cave elves known as the Dvergar capture Kallan and take her into the mountains. Beaten and near death, Rune finds Kallan and rescues her from the Dvergar. Upon awakening, Kallan learns that she is stranded in Midgard and the only chance of survival is to team up with Rune.
Kallan and Rune battle each other across the lands of Ancient Midgard, they escape the Dvergar and run from the rogue King Olaf who is determined to kill Kallan and claim her pouch: a magical item that once belonged to Odinn and produces an eternal supply of Idunn’s apples.
Rune uncovers some truth about Borg, a Dokkalfar spy who compromised the messages between Rune’s and Kallan’s people. Rune and Kallan find a spring that seeps Seidr from the ground. The spring awakens the Beast within Rune and unlocks a portion of Kallan’s powers allowing her to See the rise of Loptr and the Fire Giants as they take down the gods of Asgard. With Rune’s help, Kallan accepts her father’s death and learns to trust Rune as they approach the borders of Alfheim.
King Olaf captures Kallan and Rune and learns of their identity. As Kallan is left for dead, the Dvergar attack, scattering King Olaf’s army and Rune escapes with the aid of Ori, a Dvergar and friend from Kallan’s childhood who Kallan does not remember.
Ori unites Rune and Kallan then directs the Dvergar off-course as Kallan and Rune make a run for the borders of Alfheim. But King Olaf has closed in, leaving them no escape when Bergen, Rune’s brother, arrives with enforcements. King Olaf retreats, but Kallan is left to the whim of Bergen.
Immediately determined to kill each other, Bergen and Kallan argue. Given the choice of prisoner or guest, Rune coerces Kallan to sail with them back to Gunir.
